'I think the incident was made look far worse than it actually was'

Former Kilkenny hurler Martin Comerford has echoed the sentiments made by his ex-teammate Jackie Tyrrell that Cathal Barrett made the most of the challenge he received from Richie Hogan.

Writing in the Kilkenny People this week, the O’Loughlin Gaels clubman feels that the red card given to Hogan was harsh.

Comerford adds that Barrett’s initial reaction suggests that the collision was not as hard as was made out.

“I don’t know if it was a sending off offence. To send a man off in the circumstances was harsh,” writes Comerford.

“Did the injury or was there an injury, merit a red card? I think the incident was made look far worse than it actually was.

“If a lad gets a bad shot to the jaw, his head goes sideways. As far as I could see Cathal Barrett’s head seemed to go backwards. He seemed to jump back. It was an All-Ireland final, so a bit more common sense should have been used by the referee.”